Roadside memorial bill named for late Mount Arlington officer is law

Gov. Chris Christie on Tuesday signed into law a bill named after the late Mount Arlington Patrolman Joseph Wargo that allows permanent roadside memorials to be erected, at no cost to taxpayers, to honor police, EMTs and firefighters killed in the line of duty.

"For the friends and family of heroes like Patrolman Joseph Wargo, there is little we can do to ease the pain and heartbreak that endures long after their tragic loss," said state Sen. Anthony Bucco, R-Boonton, who was a prime sponsor of the bipartisan legislation along with his son, Assemblyman Anthony M. Bucco, R-Morris.

"What we can do is offer a longstanding tribute expressing our gratitude for their service and sacrifice.  By creating a permanent roadside memorial program, we are ensuring that those who have paid the ultimate price to guard their neighbors from harm are never forgotten by those they died to protect," Sen. Bucco said.

Judy Shoudy, an EMT and friend of Wargo, pushed for the legislation and urged Assemblyman Bucco to take up the cause. Shoudy's husband is a retired police officer, and her son is a Randolph officer.

"I am absolutely thrilled," Shoudy said. "It was all about honoring those who have fallen in the line of duty, and I am glad it has been signed into law.  I am grateful to all those who supported the bill as it went through the process."

Assemblyman Bucco has said that informal memorials honoring police, firefighters and EMTs have often sprung up on roadsides but were at risk of being torn down because there was no specific legislation to make them permanent.

"The selfless acts of fallen heroes should never be forgotten," said Assemblyman Bucco, who is a 30-year member of the Boonton Volunteer Fire Department and a life member of the New Jersey State Firemen's Association.

"The memorial sign program is just one small way that we can help to preserve the memory and the legacy of those who died in the line of duty," the assemblyman said.

The law will preserve a stunning roadside memorial off Route 80 in Roxbury to Wargo that was built by members of the Mount Arlington Police Department after the on-duty, 38-year-old officer was killed on Oct. 16, 2011.  Michael Cassella, a motorist who admitted being high on heroin, morphine and Xanax when he crashed into Wargo's patrol car, pleaded guilty to aggravated manslaughter and was sentenced to 20 years in prison.

However, despite his plea and sentence, Cassella is fighting to suppress the results of the blood test that was used to show he was impaired.

Patrolman Joseph Wargo's Law directs the state Department of Transportation to establish a memorial program to accept applications from survivors, family, friends or organizations that want to erect — at no cost to taxpayers — roadside memorials in the name of police officers, firefighters, EMTs and sheriff's officers  killed in the line-of-duty.

The DOT will review the applications and will have authority to permit the memorials and regulate their sizes so long as they don't serve as a distraction to motorists.  The costs would be borne by the applicants.

Prior to the bill signing, New Jersey had no specific law that permitted or disallowed roadside memorials for officers, firefighters, EMTs and sheriff's officers.

After Wargo's death, fellow officers cleared the wooded area off Route 80 into which his patrol car was propelled by the impact.  A 12-foot-high cross was built from a tree on site, paving stones were laid, and colorful mums and other flowers are routinely planted around a huge rock that is the centerpiece of the memorial.

A plaque on the rock is engraved with an image of the officer and reads: "Joseph S. Wargo Jr. Mount Arlington Police Department.  End of watch Oct. 16, 2011."  The plaque includes a Wargo quote: "The difference between a man's strength and weakness lies in his determination to succeed."

   Staff Writer Peggy Wright: 973-267-1142; pwright@gannett.com